


Ruffled hair and candy

by milkhye



Category: TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: M/M, Soobin is an awkward bean who likes the cute boy who comes to his class everyday, Taehyun and Beomgyu are suspicious
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2019-11-12 16:45:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18014594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/milkhye/pseuds/milkhye
Summary: The other boy’s lips quirk slightly into a smile, and Soobin thinks  “oh,”. He almost falls off the table.In which the quiet and awkward Soobin finds himself in a bit of a crisis- falling for the cute boy who always visits his classroom.





	1. Chapter 1

It's one of those warm days.

He doesn't exactly care much about the physical feeling of it, he supposes. But it's the kind of day that blows a gentle breeze through the trees, casting a flurry of leaves around shy couples standing underneath. The kind that sends mischievous schoolboys after laughing schoolgirls and fosters blossoming feelings underneath the cherry trees- a place where feelings are never told, but shared through linked fingers and shared earphones. 

The kind that Soobin can't help but want to experience for himself. 

He stares out the window, palm against one cheek, eyes drinking in the sight.

It was always a different crop of people around the courtyard during lunch-time. Boys on break after a sweaty, yet invigorating game of basketball in the school gym, and popular girls with neatly tied hair and cutely accessorised phone straps. Loud seniors playing bottle flipping games, and shy juniors watching their sunbaes from afar. Whatever the combination was, Soobin loved to watch. 

There was always a new story to follow, no matter how mundane.

Today it's different. Eyebrows furrowing, Soobin notes with confusion that there seems to be a crowd- not formed by any particular social group, just a concentration of people around a particular area. He tries to remember if there was some kind of event going on today, but as far as Soobin could think, there was no such thing. 

He cranes his neck slightly out of intrigue, and sees what he thinks might be laughter, with a few elbows here and there knocking each other around. A few girls whisper to each other excitedly, while a few boys try to push their way to the front. What could it be that was so interesting? 

A surprise event, he thinks. Or an animal let loose. 

Somehow, those options don't seem quite right. 

When the crowd finally parts enough for Soobin to see what's going on, his eyes widen in surprise at the realisation that it's not something they're gathering around. It's _someone_. 

There's a boy out in the centre of the courtyard, surrounded completely by admirers, laughing as his friends push against him. Soobin can't make out a face, but even from afar sees the tinges of blossoming pink and a smile as bright as the sun. 

Now _that_. _That_ was the kind of person those romantic stereotypes happened to. The kind of person that would fit perfectly into a slice of life manhwa.

The kind that Soobin can't help but watch.

Like a distant memory, a scene plays out in his mind. He looks up, the cool wind against his face and heavy heart stuttering against his chest. A smile and almond-shaped eyes come into view, and the words "Sunbae, I like you—"

“Soobin hyung, what're you looking at?”

Fingers ruffling through his hair, it’s Taehyun’s playful yet concerned tone that jolts him back to the present. Two faces stare back at him in slight worry, and he realises that perhaps he may have gone a little too overboard with his daydreaming. Ah.

Eyes quickly flitting back to his friend, he gives him a sheepish smile in return, and ducks his head.

"Sorry," he mumbles to no-one in particular, desperately trying to rid his head of all previous thoughts. What had those thoughts just even turned into? A confession scene? He chews his lip, and awkwardly scratches the base of his neck.

“You’re always so shy, Binnie hyung,” Beomgyu sighs dramatically over his juicebox, cheek in one palm.

It was far from the truth, but he knew he was only teasing. 

It was just difficult- even after years of the high school experience, he still couldn't get used to it- things like speaking loudly, contributing a lot to conversation, actively making friends...it was all a little out of his comfort zone. Even in his own group, he was a little more quiet than he would have liked, despite being the eldest. 

One of the few things that gave him comfort was daydreaming. Even if he couldn't be as confident and centre-of-attention as his friends, it gave him joy to see even the most simple things as something beautiful. A smile here, a hand-squeeze there, a gentle touch on the shoulder. Even watching through the interactions of others made him happy.

He wonders if that made him strange. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Soobin sees Taehyun cast Beomgyu a pointed glare, before interjecting with a light, “Hyung, as if you were any different,”.

Soobin cracks a wider smile at that. 

A hand suddenly claps on Soobin's shoulder, startling him violently. He looks up sharply to see one of his classmates, Minhyuk, sliding into the seat next to him, holding something that looked like a magazine. 

Minhyuk was one of the more popular kids in class- the type that probably would never give Soobin a second look if he didn't hang around Taehyun and Beomgyu, and Soobin didn't really know what to think of him. 

He hadn’t really made much of a response to the startling shoulder clap, but he finds himself nodding quietly along as Taehyun's eyes light up at the new entry to their conversation. Beomgyu interjects with what seems to be a teasing protest, but Soobin finds himself distracted by something else. 

"Already have your eyes on the prize, huh?" Minhyuk grins, leaning into Soobin's space. Soobin blanches at sudden the contact, and leans back by instinct.

"What?" he chokes out, eyes flickering up at the other. 

"The magazine- I saw you staring! Hyung will show you if you really want," the other replies smugly, and splays his magazine out across the joined tables for the entire group to see. It takes Soobin almost an entire minute to comprehend what he's staring at. 

Girls. Girls with short skirts. Girls in bikinis. Girls on their backs, winking at the camera. Girls.

He flushes a bright scarlet.

"Ah geez, put that away Minhyuk. We're gonna get in trouble!" Taehyun whispers, batting at the laughing elder. 

"What? We're all hormonal teenagers. I think it's fine if it's this way at least! I personally prefer the ones with dark hair, in case you were wondering," Minhyuk bats his eyelashes as he waves the dirty magazine around, and it takes both Taehyun and Beomgyu to pull him back down.

It's a dangerous territory. 

Behind Beomgyu's yells that "Nobody asked you, you weirdo!", and the other's maniacal laughter, Soobin chances another glance at the magazine, then at Minhyuk. 

Dark hair really does seem attractive, he thinks. Minhyuk's teeth flash a brilliant white as he grins, and all of a sudden Soobin feels strange.

He quickly wills the thought away. He sees Beomgyu give him a look out of the corner of his eye, but he sharply turns away. 

“How about you?” Minhyuk asks, propping a hand up under his chin. Soobin immediately startles.

“What?” He asks, blinking back, and finds his fists clenching reflexively under the table.

“I asked what type you’re into, Bin,” he repeats, and Soobin immediately enters a cold sweat. What type was he into?

His mind comes to a blank. 

He liked a lot of different people. He had often heard his hyungs and dongsaengs talking about pretty girls with long hair and gentle smiles. About cold girls with sharp eyes and sleek bobs. About cute girls with pigtails and cherry pink lips. 

They were all nice. 

He couldn't find anything to say. 

Before he can speak, he hears a loud clutter near the window, and his attention is immediately ripped from the conversation right towards the sight of a head of dark hair peeking its way into the classroom.

It’s not really anything particularly attention-grabbing nor out of the ordinary, but he's so desperate for a way out of the situation, that he finds his eyes fastened on anything that could provide him refuge.

Then the head suddenly raises up, and-- oh. 

He makes direct eye contact with the boy at the window. 

He isn't sure where to look exactly- the unexpected directness of the interaction leaves him frozen to the spot. Like a character out of a manhwa, the other boy's elbows are propped up against the windowsill, the boyish ruffle of his dark hair reminding Soobin very devastatingly of the earlier conversation with Minhyuk. 

Although any stranger by now would have looked away, the other boy only seems to stare back in kind. 

There's a moment of silence, before his slanted eyes crinkle into crescent moons. 

Soobin feels his heartrate spike. 

“Hey…ya, Soobin, are you even listening?” Minhyuk frowns, waving his arms frantically in front of the younger’s face, but he only vaguely registers the tone. He...was the boy smiling at him? Was it just his imagination? His head comes up with a blank, as he tries to search his brain for answers. 

"Soobin?" Minhyuk tries again, but he's already too far gone to respond. Soobin didn't really have that many friends in school- only a handful of people he knew here and there, but mostly he kept to himself. So why? Who was this- ah. 

The boy is suddenly thrown off-kilter as his friend tackles him from behind, surprise evident on his face. It's a boy that Soobin recognises from his class- the half Korean one that Soobin never really got around to interacting much with, being the shy person that he was. But as quickly as the first is surprised, he smiles as bright as the sun, turning around to chat animatedly with his friend. Eyebrows furrowing, Soobin tries to assess the situation. It seemed that he was only just visiting, but it was clear that the two were well acquainted- enough for the boy to laugh in such a way, snorting while hanging for dear life onto the windowsill. Albeit a little embarrassing, it was kind of endearing. 

Soobin kind of wants to kick himself for thinking that way. 

Suddenly a girl joins the group, pulling a CD out of her bag for the boy to take. From what he can hear, there's a lot of laughter, as well as subtle teasing. He doesn't think much of it, until two more people join the group, and two more, and two more, until it becomes somewhat of a noisy crowd. With a twinge of disappointment, he can no longer make out what's happening, but suddenly he realises why the boy had seemed so familiar. With pink tinged cheeks and a bright smile, Soobin remembers. 

The boy from the courtyard. 

No way.

As if sensing the other's intense stare, the boy’s eyes flicker briefly in his direction, before cocking his head once again. Heart spiking at the unexpected interaction, Soobin’s eyes immediately snap downwards, and he tries to nod along to whatever inane topic Minhyuk is now ranting passionately about. This was bad. Was he being weird? Did the other think that was weird? He must have come across as being weird.

But as he chances another glance upwards, he notices the other boy staring back at him again.

For just a brief moment, the other boy’s lips quirk slightly into a smile, and Soobin thinks _“oh,”_. He almost falls off his chair.

While the motion of the crowd pulls the boy back into conversation and thankfully away from the embarrassing act, he fastens his eyes onto the desk with intense humiliation. 

You're an idiot, Choi Soobin. Why did you do that? he thinks.

Maybe he was just being polite, but Soobin’s cheeks darken just the slightest bit. That time it seemed like a deliberate act.

He chances another look back at the boy, but by the time he raises his head, he's already gone, along with the crowd. Oh. 

He feels a small push at his shoulder, quickly snapping to attention. He realises he's facing Minhyuk's expecting gaze. 

“Yeah, I agree,” he replies automatically. It was probably dangerous to do so, but at the moment he was too distracted to care. The boy had smiled at him, as if it hadn't been weird that Soobin was staring at him. Almost as if they could be friends. 

For the first time, he wonders if being visible isn't so bad.

“I knew you’d think so, Bin!” Minhyuk's voice suddenly rings out, and he slaps the table animatedly, startling the other boy. Soobin stares for a moment, eyes wide, before bursting into laughter at the exaggerated response. 

He starts to feel eyes on him around the class, but for once he doesn’t really care.

He’s kind of drunk on the feeling. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soobin's confidence and demeanour will gradually grow throughout the fic so don't worry too much about him for now!
> 
> also please pretend they're all in the same grade thanks


	2. Chapter 2

“You seem like you’re in a good mood today,” 

The words catch Yeonjun slightly off guard as he stoops over to pick up a boxed juice from the vending machine. Stabbing a hole through the drink with his straw, he looks up at the boy standing in front of him and takes a long sip. Ah.

“What do you mean?” He asks, making sure not to break eye contact. It was always like a game when talking to Hueningkai. You never knew whether it was going to be an innocent conversation or whether he was going to eat you alive. And truthfully, although he was still young, Yeonjun would rather not get on his dongsaeng’s bad side.

“I mean you’ve been weirdly nice these days. Always coming to visit me, lending me supplies, buying me all these treats even though I’m just your lowly dongsaeng—” Kai ticks off with his fingers, while raising his eyebrow.

It was true- Yeonjun had made a point recently to visit the younger more than usual, always stopping by during break times and bringing him snacks. 

But he didn’t really have a motive. He was just being a good hyung, and wanted to look out for his dongsaengs. Kai was the half sibling of one of his good friends, and by relation became one of his. 

Being elevated to a higher grade for his intellect, Yeonjun also felt slightly responsible for making sure that Kai was properly looked after, especially since he was in the same building.

But a twinkle in the younger’s eyes made him feel strangely uncomfortable. It was almost as if he knew what was going on. 

Something that Yeonjun didn’t even know himself.

“If I didn’t know better…” Kai starts, dragging out his sentences, and Yeonjun’s fingers drum nervously against his side.

“…I’d say you were in love with me,” he finishes, and the elder’s eyes immediately widen in alarm.

“Excuse me?” He chokes out, almost dropping his juice. At the sight of the younger’s smug face, he immediately fills with horror, and quickly whips around to see the stunned and dubious looks of a large number of classmates around him.

“I mean, I know I’m beautiful but really—“ Kai continues airily, but Yeonjun doesn’t let him finish the sentence.

“Ya, you brat! Come here-“ he says, raising a fist, and the younger immediately runs off down the hallway, laughing. 

They both eventually get caught and reprimanded by one of the teachers, but Yeonjun only cuffs Kai good-naturedly over the head and tells him to behave before going to his own class. 

Scratching the back of his head, he wonders if the younger had really caught on.

**  
It had started quite a few weeks ago.

Yeonjun had been making his way down to the vending machine one lunch break, when he decided to make a slight detour to check in on Hueningkai.

He knew that he shouldn’t worry, but he had heard a copious amount of stories of foreign students getting picked on in the past- and if Kai was elevated from a lower year, that was bound to make the situation even worse.

His best friend hadn't really been all that concerned though- said something about Kai being able to take care of himself, but it was in Yeonjun’s nature to worry. He was after all, a member of the student council, and as ridiculous as it sounded, he wanted everyone to feel welcome.

Hands in his pockets, he had stealthily poked his head through the window to scan the room- and stopped. 

Chest rising and falling softly with each breath, there was a boy, sleeping soundly in an entirely empty classroom. With one cheek smushed into the crook of his arm, and a mouth slightly open, and all Yeonjun could do was stare.

Had there always been such a good looking guy like this in their grade? He couldn’t seem to think of a name to match with the face, no matter how desperately he tried to rack his brain.

He had almost wanted to walk in and ask, but decided to abandon the thought. 

He didn’t know why he had such a sudden fascination with the boy- maybe he just wanted to make more friends, or maybe he just found the situation interesting. Whatever it was, he couldn’t seem to identify the specific feeling.

Before he could make it very far, his thoughts were interrupted by a loud, “Soobin hyung!”. Startled by the sudden call, he turned back to see a boy with light brown hair running into the classroom and crash tackling the sleeping boy.

“Huh?!” With a choke, the boy suddenly jolted awake, eyes widened in fear, a near 180 from his peaceful, angelic expression from before. Yeonjun noted to himself in amusement that he was almost like a big, startled puppy. 

“You shouldn’t scare me like that! I almost thought I was going to have a heart attack!” the boy had said accusingly, hand on his chest. Yeonjun had to physically hold himself back from laughing- the guy's expressions were just too honest and easy to read. 

“It’s not my fault you’re so easily scared, hyung,” the lighter-haired boy had responded, but hadn’t objected when the elder clung to his sleeve. It was cute. 

Yeonjun smiled softly to himself, before picking up his juice box and slipping it into his pocket. He almost didn't want to leave the scene, but gathered that he should probably make it back before his friends started to wonder where he had gone. Perhaps he would find Kai another time.

As he walked down the corridor back to his classroom, a flock of classmates swarmed to his side, asking him about whether he wanted to join them for lunch, or whether he had heard the latest CD of a certain boyband, but his mind was entirely elsewhere.

 _“Soobin, huh,”_ he had murmured softly to himself.

He filed the name away for later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's like 2am so I haven't edited it properly yet haha :') but we'll be getting their actual interactions next chapter! sorry for the wait


End file.
